


I Know It Hurts (it’s Hard to Breathe Sometimes)

by fireladybuckley



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Attacked, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Blood, Buck calls 9-1-1, Christopher Diaz Has Two Dads, Date Night, Date Night Goes Horribly Wrong, Eddie Whump, Emotional Whump, Established Relationship, Gen, Hospital Scenes, Hurt Eddie, Hurt/Comfort, Lena bosko is a badass, M/M, Panicked Buck, So many tropes, Soft Buck, Soft Eddie, Unconsciousness, Whump, and i love her, buddie, hospital visits, jumped from behind, mugged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29908530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireladybuckley/pseuds/fireladybuckley
Summary: On the way to meet Buck for a date night, Eddie is jumped from behind, brutally mugged and left lying in the middle of the road.  It’s up to Buck to save him and nurse him back to health physically, all the while healing each other’s emotional wounds.  Much hurt/comfort, but all is well in the end.
Relationships: Buddie - Relationship, Eddie Diaz/Evan Buckley, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), buck/eddie
Comments: 5
Kudos: 101





	I Know It Hurts (it’s Hard to Breathe Sometimes)

Eddie frowned as he glanced at his GPS, which had just announced he’d reached his destination. He was meeting Buck for a few beers and bottomless chicken wings but he’d never been to the place before. As he drove past, not a parking spot in sight, he saw Buck waiting outside and waved at him. Eddie drove down the block, still not finding a spot, so he pulled into a side street. Almost two blocks down the side street he finally found a spot big enough for his truck and pulled in, parking and glancing down at his phone as he heard Buck’s text chime go off.

_How far did you go? I think there might be spots in the other direction._

_It’s okay, I’m only a couple blocks away. I’ll be there in 5._

Eddie pocketed his phone and hopped out of the truck, spinning his keys around his finger as he walked away, looking forward to an evening with Buck. It had been too long since they’d had time to hang out, just the two of them. He was just crossing the street when a shuffling noise behind him had him starting to turn. 

Before Eddie understood what happened, he was slamming into the ground on his side, the blow to his head coming so fast and so hard his body instantly crumpled. White hot agony spread through his skull from the impact point just above his left ear and he groaned as he forced himself up onto his elbows, reaching a shaking hand to his head, feeling warm blood blooming beneath his hair where he’d been hit. 

Dazed, Eddie tried to look up, tried to look around him, but the blow had knocked out most of his senses and he was intensely dizzy, swaying on the spot. The streetlights were too bright, blinding his vision, and voices echoed around him in a confusing cacophony of sound. 

Before he could recover, someone who seemed like nothing more than a shadow looming over him punched him hard across the face. Eddie grunted in pain, feeling his lip split, his head slamming to the side. Fresh waves of pain rippled from the initial wound and Eddie felt a wave of nausea hit him from the intensity of the pain. Another punch and he fell back to the ground on his side with a groan, bleeding from his nose and eyebrow now. Too stunned from the blows to the head to do much more than make a futile attempt to rise, Eddie grunted as he was kicked in the chest and the back multiple times until he lay still, coughing as he tried to catch his breath and moaning, lost in a cloudy haze of agony.

“Get the keys! And his wallet!”

Eddie made a weak, wordless noise of protest as his keys were wrenched from his hand, his body shoved roughly around as they raided his pockets, taking his phone, his wallet. They left him lying face down on the pavement as they hurried to his truck, unlocked it and hopped in. Realizing that he was in the path of their escape, with a shot of adrenaline surging through him Eddie was just barely able to roll himself out of the way in time as they peeled away from the curb in his truck, yelling gleefully. 

Eddie lay on his back near the middle of the street and coughed weakly, moaning as the pain overwhelmed him, his breathing too fast and too shallow. He could feel that he was about to pass out and could only hope that Buck or someone else would find him before he was run over by a driver that wasn’t watching the road. Within seconds he lost consciousness, head falling to the side as he went completely limp. 

* * *

It seemed like it had been a lot longer than five minutes. Buck was getting a little impatient, pacing as he waited, his stomach growling. Mostly he was just excited to get to spend the night out with Eddie, and he couldn’t wait to get the date started. It had been a while since they’d gone out, what with work and Christopher’s school schedule, so he was just happy that they finally had a chance for a date. Buck flipped his phone around in his hands several times, then decided he’d meet Eddie up the block, not wanting to wait another moment to kiss him.

Buck wandered in the direction he’d seen Eddie heading and was almost to the corner when he saw Eddie’s truck approaching. Buck was just raising his hand to wave, confused and wondering what Eddie was doing, when the truck roared loudly and shot past him. Buck whirled around in surprise, his mouth falling open when he spotted two figures inside the cab and realized neither of them were his boyfriend. He was dumbfounded for a moment, trying to process what he’d seen as Eddie’s truck shot down the street and then disappeared around a corner a block or two away, the sound of the engine quickly fading.

If those two randos had Eddie’s truck, that must have meant they’d carjacked him. Which meant Eddie could very well be hurt. Adrenaline setting fire to his muscles, Buck began to run in the direction the truck had come from, calling Eddie’s name, the volume and worry of his yells increasing with each iteration.

Buck slowed to a stop at the end of the second block, looking around as he panted for breath. He was just running a worried hand through his hair when he saw him; a prone figure in the middle of the street halfway down the next block.

“Eddie!” Buck cried, sprinting towards him as fast as he could, skidding to a stop next to him and looking down in horror. Eddie was obviously unconscious and Buck dropped to his knees beside him, fear and worry eclipsing his heart as he took in his boyfriend’s appearance.

Eddie was covered in blood, trails of it leaking from his nose, his mouth, a cut above his eyebrow. There was a particularly large streak of it coming from under Eddie’s hair, where it had flowed down his neck and soaked into his shirt collar, staining it crimson.

“Oh my god, Eddie...” Buck croaked, reaching out and gently touching Eddie’s face, then slipping his hand down Eddie’s arm, taking Eddie’s wrist and settling two fingers there as he fumbled for his phone, hands shaking. Buck dialed 9-1-1, raising the phone to his ear as he held onto Eddie’s wrist, relieved to feel Eddie’s pulse thumping against his fingers. 

“9-1-1, what is your emergency?”

“I’ve got a male in his mid thirties, unconscious, obvious head wound, I-I need an ambulance now!” Buck’s voice shook as he let go of Eddie’s wrist and gripped his hand instead.

“Buck? Is that you?”

“M-Maddie?” Buck’s voice broke as he realized he was talking to his sister, tears welling in his eyes. “Maddie, it’s Eddie, h-he doesn’t look good. Someone knocked him out and stole his truck, a-and it looks like they r-roughed him up real bad.”

“Try to breathe, Buck,” Maddie said in a soothing tone, forcing her own concern out of her voice and recognizing that Buck was seconds away from panicking entirely. “Where are you?”

“I-I don’t know, um,” Buck looked around wildly, spotting a street sign in the distance and squinting at it, just barely able to make it out in the dim light and relayed to Maddie what it said. “We’re like two and a half blocks south of the main road.”

“Okay, dispatching units now. The 136 is closest Buck, they’ll be there in a few minutes. How is Eddie doing?”

“S-still unconscious. He’s breathing and his heart rate is fast but good, b-but Maddie you should see his face.” Buck’s voice trembled; Maddie knew he was crying, and she wished she could be there to wrap her arms around him, to comfort him, knowing how scared he must be. “There’s so much blood.”

“Does he have any large wounds? Or are they mostly superficial?”

“Mostly superficial, e-except the one on the side of his head. I-I don’t know what they hit him with but it’s bleeding a lot.”

“Okay Buck, can you press anything to the wound to staunch the blood? Be careful not to move him though, you don’t know if he has a spinal injury.”

“O-okay,” Buck agreed shakily, mentally chastising himself and grateful for Maddie’s instruction, even though he knew that he was supposed to know what he was doing. He set his phone to speaker and propped it up on Eddie’s arm, fingers fumbling with the buttons of his own shirt as he tried to remove it as fast as possible. Once he’d gotten the garment off, he balled up the light blue material, scooted around so he was kneeling above Eddie’s head and reached out, pressing it to the large, glistening wet spot in Eddie’s hair, stabilizing Eddie’s head with his other hand so he didn’t turn Eddie’s neck at all.

“Stay with me, Eddie,” Buck whispered, a tear slipping unnoticed down his cheek and splashing into Eddie’s hair. “I got you, don’t worry, I got you...”

Maddie felt her heart clench as she listened to Buck murmuring reassurances to Eddie, checking the progress of the units she’d sent.

“Two minutes out, Buck. They’re almost there. You’re doing great, just hold on.”

It was the longest two minutes Buck had ever endured, staring down at Eddie’s slack features, watching the blood trickle sluggishly down his face. Buck fought to control the shaking of his hands as he continued to apply pressure to Eddie’s head wound, fear coursing through him even as Maddie tried to reassure him that head wounds bled a lot and it probably wasn’t as bad as it seemed. 

Buck heard the sirens and the roar of the truck engines long before he saw them and his heart squeezed painfully, looking down at Eddie’s bloody face.

“It’s gonna be okay, Eddie,” Buck said, more to reassure himself since he was pretty sure Eddie couldn’t hear him. “They’re almost here, we got you.”

Buck wished he could kiss Eddie, wished he could stroke his face, his hair, but he stayed where he was, holding his shirt to Eddie’s wound, his other hand keeping Eddie’s head still. He glanced over his shoulder as he heard the blare of the fire truck's horn, the sirens of the police cars suddenly much closer and winced as their headlights blinded him, turning back to look down at Eddie, blinking rapidly as the lights left spots in his vision.

Buck focused on Eddie’s face as he heard the cars pull up and several officers jumped out, surrounding them and moving around the area as one of the officers moved to him and crouched beside him.

“What happened? Did you see who did this?”

Buck did his best to explain that Eddie had said he was parking but then two guys went flying by in Eddie’s truck, and Buck had gone to look for him, finding him unconscious. The officer nodded, satisfied with Buck’s answers, and Buck heard him give the all-clear a moment later.

“We got this, sir.”

Buck looked up as a paramedic appeared beside him and knelt down, reaching out to take over c-spine and holding the cloth to Eddie’s wound. Buck hesitated; he really didn’t want to let go of Eddie, wanting to keep control of the situation and make sure Eddie was taken care of properly.

“Sir? Please move away from him so we can assess him. I promise we’ll take good care of him.”

“I’m a firefighter too,” Buck explained, though unable to banish the emotion in his voice, suddenly aware of the tears drying on his cheeks. “I can help.”

“Buck?”

Buck looked up in surprise at hearing his name and squinted through the bright lights, seeing Lena Bosko peering at him, her eyes travelling from his face down to Eddie’s, which was half obscured by Buck’s body. He watched the expression on her face change from surprise, to worry, and to understanding as her gaze flickered back to him.

“Buck, you gotta let them work,” Lena said, her voice a little softer than usual, putting a hand on his shoulder. Buck knew she was right and, very reluctantly, he allowed the paramedic beside him to take over, slowly standing and moving aside slightly, watching as a second paramedic hurried in and began assessing Eddie’s condition.

Buck took a step back, his mind a flurry of emotion. He was about to run a hand through his hair and then realized his palm was covered in Eddie’s blood, which did not help matters whatsoever. Lena saw this and tugged his arm down so he would stop looking at his hand, moving over to stand beside him for moral support as the medics worked on Eddie.

Lena had been about to ask what happened when Eddie moaned; Lena felt Buck snap to attention beside her and reached out automatically, grabbing him around the waist.

“Let me go!” Buck gasped as Eddie moaned again and then slowly opened his eyes, blinking in confusion. “He’s awake! I need to go to him!”

“Buck, no,” Lena said firmly, planting her feet and refusing to let him go anywhere, though she was aware of their height difference and knew he could shake her off if he really tried. “Let my medics work on him, I promise you they’re great and Eddie is in no danger with them.”

Buck struggled for a moment, tugging on her grip, but as another firefighter stepped forward and put a hand on his chest, helping her hold him back, Buck’s fight went out of him. Buck sagged, nodding in defeat, raising his hands in surrender. The other firefighter let go of him and Lena loosened her grip, though she didn’t completely release him for several more moments, until she was sure he would behave.

“I just don’t want him to be alone,” Buck said, his voice cracking again as he watched Eddie’s face, saw his confusion, the pain in his eyes as they slipped a c-collar on him.

“He’s not, and you can ride in the ambulance with him in a minute.” 

Buck nodded mutely, swallowing his feelings, and Lena patted him consolingly on the back. Lena asked him what happened and he attempted to explain what he knew, distracted and trying to move forward again as he heard Eddie groan in pain as they moved him to a backboard. Lena gripped the back of his shirt, holding him in place and he didn’t fight her, though his eyes were wide and worried as he watched them lift the backboard and put it on the gurney. One of the other firefighters handed him something and it took Buck a moment to realize it was his phone, which was still connected to 9-1-1. He’d completely forgotten that he’d been on the phone with Maddie after everyone had gotten there and distracted him, and he put the phone to his ear.

“Hello? Maddie?”

“Buck!” Maddie’s voice was relieved, and Buck felt bad for neglecting her, but his eyes never left Eddie’s face, watching him closely as they got him settled. “How is Eddie?”

“He just woke up, but they h-haven’t finished assessing him,” Buck said wearily, watching as they strapped Eddie to the gurney. “I gotta go. I’ll call you back later.”

Without waiting for her answer, Buck hung up the phone, stuffed it into his pocket and moved with Lena towards the ambulance, blocked from Eddie’s view by the medics as one hopped up into the rig and they lifted the gurney into place. 

“Thank you,” Buck said to Lena, briefly turning and squeezing her forearm. Lena gave him a tight smile and nodded, squeezing his arm back. 

“Take care of Diaz.”

Buck nodded, flashing her a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes, then scrambled into the back of the ambulance as the other paramedic indicated it was okay for him to do so.

“Eddie? Eddie,” Buck called as soon as he was beside him, reaching out and touching Eddie’s arm. Eddie’s eyes fluttered open again and he peered in Buck’s direction, wincing as the bright lights of the rig made his head throb. 

“Buck?” Eddie’s voice was a hoarse whisper, and Buck felt tears welling in his eyes again as he clutched Eddie’s hand, trying to stay out of the way as the medics set to work, prepping an IV.

“How are you? Doing okay?” Buck’s heart was in his throat as he spoke and he did his best to control his emotions, both because he was with two medics in close quarters he didn’t know, and he didn’t want to upset Eddie if Eddie heard the tears in his voice.

“Hurts like a bitch,” Eddie mumbled, wincing as his upper body was jostled a bit as the rig started to move. Buck squeezed his hand again and watched as one of the medics felt for a vein and slipped the IV needle into Eddie’s arm, Eddie out of it enough that he didn’t even flinch, or really notice at all. 

“You’re gonna be okay,” Buck assured him, as one of the medics pushed what he assumed was pain meds into the IV line. “They’re gonna check you out and you’ll be okay.”

Eddie weakly squeezed Buck’s hand and Buck brought their hands to his face, gently pressing a kiss to the back of Eddie’s. Eddie’s lips twitched as the hint of a smile ghosted over his face but he didn’t say anything else, and as Buck watched, Eddie’s eyes slowly drifted shut.

“Eddie?” Buck asked, his voice a little frantic as Eddie’s body relaxed and he had clearly slipped into unconsciousness again. Buck reached out and cupped Eddie’s cheek in his hand, biting his lip, as one of the paramedics reassured him.

“I just gave him a big push of morphine, he’s okay.” 

Buck nodded shakily, stroking Eddie’s less bloody cheek with his thumb, trying to convince himself that the paramedic was right and it wasn’t that he’d passed out from the head injury. They arrived at the hospital shortly, Buck never tearing his eyes from Eddie’s face until the rig door flew open and the medic beside him hopped out and beckoned to him. Buck reluctantly rose, leaning over and giving Eddie a kiss on the forehead before following the medic, hopping out of the rig into the cool night air. 

Buck tried to follow them down the hallway after they entered the hospital but was stopped by a nurse who insisted he wait until Eddie was properly assessed, promising him that she’d come and find him once Eddie was settled. Frustrated but understanding, Buck backed off and paced around the waiting area for a few minutes before he went back outside to breathe and make a few calls. First, he called Carla, who was already watching Christopher, and explained what had happened. Before he could even ask her to stay longer, she’d offered to watch Christopher overnight and get him to school the next morning. 

“You’re the best, Carla,” Buck said gratefully. “Let me talk to Chris.” 

Buck spent a heart-wrenching few minutes trying to explain to Christopher that his dad had been injured but not to worry, that he would be okay and Christopher would be able to see him the next day after school.

“Did you save him, Buck?” Christopher asked, and Buck paused, a bit thrown by the question. “Like you saved me and all those other people in the tsunami?”

“I--” Buck faltered, not having thought about any of his actions being heroic, but he supposed he had ‘saved’ Eddie, at least by calling 9-1-1. “I guess I did, but I wasn’t the only one who helped him.”  
  
  


“I knew it,” Chris said, and Buck could hear the pride in his voice. “Thank you for saving him.”

“You’re… you’re welcome,” Buck replied, smiling as he always did at how Christopher always saw things in the best possible light. He knew he didn’t deserve full credit for helping Eddie, far from it, but it made him feel oddly warm in his chest that Christopher seemed to regard him as a hero.

“I love you, Buck,” Christopher said softly. Buck’s heart squeezed and he felt a sense of awe as he absorbed Chris’s words. Buck knew that he and Chris were very close and he loved the kid dearly, but Chris had never said the words before. Buck felt his voice crack as he spoke, a smile on his face despite what had happened that evening.

“I love you too, buddy.”

Still smiling a little to himself, amazed that Christopher had been able to lift his spirits even for a few moments, Buck called Maddie back and told her what was happening, and after that, called Bobby. Buck felt his glow from Chris’s words fading as he explained for the fourth time what had happened, feeling the worry and fear for Eddie creeping back in as Bobby asked him questions and he tried to answer them, back to feeling like he was about to cry by the end of their conversation.

“Can you please call the others?” Buck asked, his voice pleading. If he had to explain what had happened one more time, he was going to break. Bobby clearly understood and assured him he would, telling Buck to call him if anything changed. Buck agreed and hung up, standing up from the bench he’d been sitting on and putting away his phone. 

He went back to the waiting area and asked about Eddie, but was told he was still being assessed and he’d have to keep waiting. Buck paced for a few more moments and then went into the washroom, sickened by the sight of Eddie’s blood still on his hands, a few specks on his arms. Buck scrubbed his skin until all the blood was gone, realizing that there were several streaks of it on his white t-shirt, but unable to do anything about that for the time being.

Buck finally forced himself to sit in a chair in the waiting area, propping his elbows on his knees and putting his head in his hands, staring at the tile beneath his feet as he attempted to keep himself calm. Eddie was going to be okay, he had to believe that. On the one hand, he had seen for himself how good the doctors at his hospital were, having put his leg back together after he’d been crushed, having successfully removed the rebar from Chim’s brain without causing any damage. But still, Buck knew every injury was different and he had no idea what those assholes had hit Eddie with or how hard he’d been hit so he was still very worried, massaging his temples as he sat there.

“Evan Buckley?” 

Buck’s head snapped up at the sound of his name and he was on his feet almost before he’d realized he was moving. He hurried over to the nurse who had spoken and followed her down a maze of hallways, wringing his hands nervously as he tried to prepare himself. Eddie had seen Buck in a hospital bed more than Buck would like to admit, but Buck had only seen Eddie in one, briefly, after the incident with the cave-in. Pushing away horrible memories from the moments when he had thought Eddie was dead, Buck took a deep breath as the nurse stopped beside a room and gestured for him to go in.

Eddie appeared to be asleep as Buck moved into the room so he stepped quietly, taking a seat in one of the chairs at the bedside, eyes searching Eddie’s face. Someone had cleaned the blood off of his skin, thankfully, but Buck’s eyes found the sources; the jagged cut over his eyebrow, held together with a butterfly stitch, the large split in his lower lip, edged by dried blood. There was a bruise forming over one of his cheeks, a smaller one over the jawbone on the other side. One of his eyes seemed puffy and several parts of his face were swollen. 

Buck swallowed a lump in his throat as his eyes moved upwards to the white bandage that had been wrapped around Eddie’s head, holding a large wad of gauze in place above his left ear. He looked so much smaller than usual, his features slack, his upper body clad in a pasty white hospital gown, his lower body covered with a light blue blanket. Buck reached out and took Eddie’s hand as gently as he could, not wanting to wake him but desperately seeking his touch. Eddie’s hand was cool and Buck curled his fingers around it, actively talking himself down from climbing up into the bed with Eddie and holding him.

“Buck?” Eddie’s voice was hoarse but clear enough and Buck’s head turned so fast his neck cracked, prompting a wince that he quickly shook off. 

“Eddie,” Buck sighed with relief, watching as Eddie’s eyes opened, the warm brown irises slowly focusing on him. “Are you okay?”

“Been better,” Eddie muttered, attempting to lick his dry lips but having such a bad case of cottonmouth that his tongue wasn’t any help. Buck immediately stood and fetched him the glass of water the nurses had left behind, helping him take a sip. 

“But, also been worse,” Eddie added after taking a few sips of water, his parched mouth feeling almost instantly better. Eddie peered over at Buck, who was hovering at the edge of the bed, looking unsure of what to do, and gave a tiny smile.

“Sit,” Eddie said, patting the bed, and Buck immediately sank onto the mattress beside him, their hips touching as Buck leaned over him, helping him take another sip. 

“Do you remember what happened?” Buck asked after a moment, reaching for Eddie’s free hand, the one without the pulse ox.

“Not really,” Eddie admitted, resting his head tiredly back on his pillow after he was done drinking, trying to ignore the agonizing ache in his skull and chest. “The last thing I remember, I texted you, and then I was on the ground.”

Buck nodded, but before he could speak one of the doctors entered the room to check in. Buck got up and out of the way so the doctor had room to work, watching anxiously. The doctor added some more meds to Eddie’s IV line, made some notes on Eddie’s chart, nodded at Buck and hurried out of the room. Buck sat himself back down on the side of the bed as Eddie sighed, his eyes drooping. Buck could see him fighting sleep and reached out to him, gently stroking his cheek, taking Eddie’s hand with his free one.

“You just rest now, okay?” Buck said softly, as Eddie opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, looking up at Buck, who smiled at him, trying to be reassuring. The corner of Eddie’s mouth pulled up slightly and then fell again as his eyes closed. Barely a moment later, Buck felt Eddie’s weak grip on his hand go slack as his body relaxed. Eddie’s breathing became more even and Buck stroked his cheek once more before he rose. Buck leaned over to give Eddie a kiss on the forehead before moving away from the bed, pacing around to work off some of his nerves, his heart pounding uncomfortably in his chest. 

Buck spent the next few hours alternating between sitting and wandering around the room, sometimes staring at his phone, sometimes just simply watching Eddie sleep. Bobby came by at one point to check on them both, and Buck appreciated his concern. They spoke in hushed tones near the door of Eddie’s room (because Buck refused to leave it entirely), and after a while Bobby left, promising to tell the others to wait until the next day to visit. He fielded calls from Hen, Chim, Maddie, and Eddie’s mother, whom Bobby had apparently called as well. He was also questioned by several police officers but as he hadn’t witnessed what happened and he hadn’t gotten a good look at the people in Eddie’s truck, he felt completely useless as he didn’t help their investigation at all.

By four AM he was exhausted from his emotions and having to talk to so many people and collapsed into the chair at Eddie’s bedside, reaching out for his hand and stroking the back of it with his thumb. He watched Eddie sleep for a long time, his own eyes drifting shut multiple times until he couldn’t shake himself awake anymore. With a tired groan, Buck put his head down on the bed beside Eddie’s leg. The position was uncomfortable at best, but at least he wouldn’t fall off the chair when he fell asleep.

* * *

Eddie groaned as he came back to consciousness a few hours later, the fire in his ribs the first thing he felt. The intense aching of his head returned a moment later as well, and Eddie’s breathing quickened as he tried to control his reaction to the pain, squeezing his eyes tighter before he opened them again. The light was dimmer than it had been before, which Eddie was grateful for as he blinked a few times to clear his vision.

Eddie looked around for Buck, assuming he’d be nearby. Eddie had to smile as he caught sight of Buck at this side, hunched over in the chair, leaning on the bed with his head resting on the mattress beside Eddie’s thigh, snoring softly. Someone had covered him with a blanket and Eddie thought he looked adorable, his hair tousled and his face slack, a small frown creasing his brow even in his sleep. Eddie slowly reached for him, careful not to jostle his aching ribs, and slipped his fingers into Buck’s hair, stroking the strands for a moment, then slipping down to Buck’s face, trailing a finger down his cheek.

Buck woke with a bit of a snort at the sensation of Eddie’s touch on his face, wincing as he slowly sat up, his back cracking and popping in protest to the position he’d slept in. Buck was wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth when he realized why he’d woken up in the first place. Buck’s eyes lit up through his sleepy haze as he saw that Eddie was awake and smiling at him, and Buck resisted the urge to throw his arms around him.

“Hey!” Buck’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat, coughing slightly. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” Eddie said bracingly, knowing that Buck would be extremely worried about him and not wanting to give him any further reason to. Buck pressed his lips together into an unimpressed and entirely unconvinced expression, and Eddie chuckled, immediately regretting the laugh as the pain in his ribs flared. Buck’s grip on his hand tightened and Eddie squeezed back, glad for the grounding as he breathed shallowly, trying to move his chest as little as possible.

“Okay, I’m in some pain,” Eddie managed as the acute agony in his ribs died away a bit and he met Buck’s eyes again. Buck frowned and stood up, slightly surprised as he felt a blanket fall away from his shoulders, wondering who had covered him with one, sitting himself down on the bed next to Eddie again. His heart broke as he looked down at Eddie’s pained expression, blinking back the tears that threatened. He wished he could take all of Eddie’s pain away and feel it himself instead.

“I think that’s a hell of an understatement,” Buck said, reaching out to touch Eddie’s cheek, his fingers just ghosting over his skin. Eddie’s eyes closed while Buck touched him, pressing his cheek into Buck’s palm. Eddie’s eyes fluttered open again as Buck pulled away too soon, and Eddie did not miss the anxiety in his expression.

“Are you okay?” Eddie asked, reaching up to touch Buck’s arm but thinking better of it as his chest flared painfully again and he let out a small gasp of pain.

“Am _I_ okay?!” Buck exclaimed, gently pushing Eddie’s arm back down and looking at him, his eyes full of fear and worry. “You’re the one who was knocked out in the middle of the street. Is your chest okay?”

Eddie grimaced as he shifted slightly and fire licked at his ribs again, crossing an arm over his chest instinctively to try and brace the pain.

“Doc says I’ve got one broken rib and several cracked,” Eddie winced, letting out a shaky breath as he settled himself, the conversation with the doctor when he’d first arrived at the hospital slowly coming back to him. Buck let out a noise of anger and concern.

“What did they do to you?” Buck asked, his free fist clenching tightly, wishing they’d been caught. They needed to pay for what they’d done.

“I’m not sure,” Eddie frowned as he tried to remember, but it was all a blur. “Someone hit me with something from behind, and they threw some punches and kicks. That’s about all I rememb--” 

Buck’s eyebrows furrowed as Eddie’s face went slack and his mouth fell open, seemingly struck by a thought.

“What is it?” Buck asked anxiously, thinking he was in pain.

“They… they took my truck, didn’t they?” Eddie croaked, his voice barely more than a whisper, staring at Buck. Buck winced, having hoped that Eddie wouldn’t remember that until he was feeling a bit better. Not wanting to lie, though, he nodded.

“Yeah…” Buck said regretfully, squeezing his hand as Eddie’s head flopped back onto his pillow in defeat, quickly grimacing again as pain shot through him from the motion. Eddie swore morosely, and Buck gripped his arm, feeling incredibly bad. Buck knew Eddie loved that damn truck and he’d bought it barely a year ago. LA was a big place - the chances of them actually finding it weren’t great, but then again, Buck knew that Athena’s team would look as hard as they could for them.

“I’m so sorry,” Buck said consolingly. “Athena’s on the case though, if anyone can find it, she will.”

Eddie groaned noncommittally and closed his eyes, mourning his truck. Buck tried to make him feel better, chatting at him, and eventually Eddie sighed and tried to push past it. He just had to hope that Athena was as good at catching car thieves as she was at solving other crimes.

The day passed in a series of visits; from the doctors, from nurses, from others. Hen, Chimney, and Bobby all visited, all sharing their love and relief that Eddie was okay. Christopher had video chatted with Eddie after school, and that had been emotional enough on its own. Maddie stopped by late in the afternoon, and by the time she left, Buck and Eddie were both exhausted. 

Eddie had been taking regular naps all day as the doctors gave him more morphine and monitored his condition, but Buck had been either talking to people or watching Eddie sleep, not sleeping again himself. Buck was starting to feel vaguely nauseated from the lack of food and sleep but ignored it as best as he could. He was also starting to feel a flash of anxiety every time he looked down and caught sight of Eddie’s blood on his shirt, each time flooding his mind with images of Eddie lying bleeding on the pavement.

“Buck, go home and change,” Eddie said tiredly, having noticed Buck trying to avoid looking at his own shirt all day. “Go have a shower and eat something, I’m fine.”

“No, I’m not leaving you,” Buck said stubbornly, waving away Eddie’s words. 

“Buck. I’m fine,” Eddie repeated, frowning. “Please go home. You need a shower anyway, you look a little grungy.”

Eddie had been teasing but Buck didn’t laugh, and Eddie sighed, wishing Buck wouldn’t worry so much. Buck _was_ a little grungy, but it had been because he’d been half-lying in the street with Eddie, caring for his injuries until help arrived. Eddie had already thanked him for what he’d done, but Buck had waved it away. Now he was refusing to leave.

“He’s right, Buckley,” said a voice from the door, and they both turned their heads to see Lena standing there, leaning casually on the door frame and smirking a little. “You’re filthy.”

“Thanks, Bosko,” Buck said flatly, rolling his eyes. Eddie grinned as Lena came into the room, pleasantly surprised to see her.

“Hey Bosko,” Eddie greeted her, chuckling at Buck, who seemed to be getting grumpier by the minute. “Did Buck text you?”

“Oh, he didn’t tell you? It was my unit that responded to his call.”

“Oh, sorry,” Buck said in the same flat tone, realizing belatedly he’d completely forgotten to tell Eddie this in all of the other details. “My bad.”

“That’s okay,” Eddie shrugged, letting out a tiny gasp as he realized shrugging was a bad idea, his grip on his own chest tightening once more. Lena walked over to a chair on the other side of Eddie’s bed and flopped into it, propping her ankle up on her other knee. 

Buck sighed as they began to talk, using Eddie’s distraction as a chance to drop his expression, putting his head in his hands and rubbing his eyes. He was tired and hungry and desperately wanted a shower but he was afraid to leave Eddie’s side. What if something bad happened while he was gone? He would never forgive himself. And yet, he couldn’t help but notice that Eddie seemed to be feeling better more and more as the day wore on, minus the pain, of course. Buck sighed again and let his head rest in his hands, falling into a light doze as he tuned out their chatter.

“Buck, go home.”

Eddie’s voice punctured his haze a while later and Buck looked up blearily, seeing that Eddie and Lena were both watching him. He felt himself blush, his cheeks warming considerably as he realized he must have been snoring into his hands.

“But, I - ”

“Go,” Eddie insisted. “I swear, I will be fine for a few hours. Lena will stay with me, right?”

“Yeah, totally,” Lena agreed, smiling at Buck. Buck frowned at her, unwilling to voice his anxiety to Eddie with Lena watching him, so he just sat there and shook his head.

“Lena, will you escort my stubborn boyfriend out?” Eddie asked in exasperation as Buck refused to move.

“With pleasure,” Lena replied, standing up and cracking her knuckles in a faux-threatening way. Buck raised an irritated eyebrow at her as Eddie laughed at his expression.

“Like you could force me,” Buck said drily, rolling his eyes, feeling offended as Eddie laughed again. “What? She’s like a foot shorter than me.”

“And she could probably kick my ass, let alone yours,” Eddie said, amused. “Don’t push her.”

Buck sighed and stood up, seeing that he was not going to get Eddie to drop this. He didn’t think Lena would actually physically kick him out, but he was too tired to argue. If leaving for an hour or two would stop them harassing him and make Eddie feel better, he’d do it.

“Promise me you’ll be okay while I’m gone?” Buck asked, ignoring Lena as he couldn’t help but let a bit of his uncertainty show, standing beside Eddie’s bed and holding his hand.

“I promise,” Eddie said, all amusement gone as he knew Buck was feeling particularly vulnerable. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” Buck replied, leaning down and kissing Eddie gently, trying to avoid the split in his lip. Buck reluctantly pulled away, nodding gruffly at Lena who returned the nod as she sat back down, and headed for the door. Buck paused in the doorway, looking back at Eddie, who smiled and waved at him. Trying to convince himself that it would be okay, Buck forced himself to walk away, ordered an uber and headed home.

An hour later, after having a long, hot shower, changing his clothes and draining an extra large vanilla latte with a pinch of cinnamon, Buck had to admit he felt a lot better. Leaving his hair to dry into his natural curls (because he knew Eddie liked it that way the most), Buck left his apartment and took a rideshare back to the restaurant from the night before, both to pick up some food and his jeep. He drove to a few other places, and about an hour later was back at the hospital in much better spirits, his arms full of surprises.

Eddie had fallen asleep after his last dose of morphine and Lena was sitting at his side, watching a video on her phone as Buck reappeared. She jumped to her feet when she saw what he was carrying, hurrying over to help him before he dropped something.

“Thanks,” he said quietly, not wanting to wake Eddie prematurely. Lena nodded and took the large bouquet of flowers from him, unwrapping them and slipping them into the vase he'd brought, as Buck set the bag of food and drinks he was carrying down onto the tray that slid over the bed. 

“Sorry about earlier,” Buck said sheepishly as Lena joined him again, watching as he pulled a few takeout containers out of the bag. “I was just feeling overwhelmed.”

“I get it,” Lena said with a shrug and an easy smile. “No worries. What did you get him?”

“Well, we were meeting for beers and wings last night,” Buck told her, still in a low voice, as Eddie hadn’t stirred yet. “I figured I couldn’t bring beer to the hospital, but I got the wings.”

“Nice.” Lena peeked into one of the takeout containers and the scent of hot buffalo wings wafted around them, making both of their stomachs growl. “Those smell amazing.”

“You’re welcome to stay,” Buck said with a genuine smile. “I bought way more than Eddie and I can eat.”

“Sounds great. Thanks, Buckley.”

“You can just call me Buck.”

Lena smiled and nodded, bumping Buck with her elbow. Buck laughed softly and together they unloaded all the food, the giant stack of napkins and wet wipes in the center, the small table sagging under the weight of all the wings. 

“I’m glad to see you two getting along.”  
  
  
Eddie’s voice floated over to them and Buck whirled around, happily moving over to the bed and leaning down, giving Eddie a kiss, his hand slipping up and cradling Eddie’s cheek, carefully avoiding any sore areas.

“What was that for?” Eddie asked, and Buck grinned at the breathless note in Eddie’s voice.

“I missed you,” Buck said simply, kissing Eddie’s forehead before straightening up, turning as Lena dragged the small table over on its wheels and positioned it so it was over Eddie’s lap.

“Oh wow, what did you do?” Eddie asked, stomach snarling fiercely as the scent of several different flavours of wings hit him at the same time. He’d had a couple of hospital meals since arriving the night before, but suffice it to say, he was still extremely hungry.

“We missed getting wings last night,” Buck explained, pulling up a chair and handing Eddie a bottle of soda, no room left on the table. “So I brought wings to us.”

“And flowers,” Lena pointed out, gesturing to the bouquet on his bed stand, which he hadn’t noticed yet.

“You’re so sweet,” Eddie smiled at Buck, who beamed and leaned over, giving him another quick kiss.

Eddie groaned in longing as Buck tossed a soda to Lena and then started loading up a plate for him. The chicken smelled divine after nearly twenty four hours of hospital food and Eddie dug in, listening as Buck and Lena chatted, genuinely happy to see Buck being so open with her. Eddie knew they’d had a rocky start, but he really liked Lena and wanted her around sometimes, so he was pleased with their progress.

“That was great,” Lena said with a bit of a groan a half an hour later, all three of them breathing a little heavily after stuffing themselves. Even though they’d eaten all they could, there were still at least a dozen wings left over and Buck slowly collected them into one takeout container as Lena dealt with the garbage, tossing it all back into the takeout bag to bring out when they left.

Lena and Buck collapsed back into their chairs as Eddie inhaled sharply, his pain suddenly starting to return. He hadn’t noticed while he was stuffing himself and listening to the two of them, but now the pain was at the forefront again. Buck reached for his hand as Eddie crossed his other arm over his chest, grimacing at the fire in his ribs.

“That must hurt so much,” Buck said in sympathy as Lena looked on, concern in both their expressions.

“Yeah, well… breathing isn’t super fun,” Eddie replied in a strained voice, glancing pointedly over at Lena, who grinned. Feeling like he was missing something, Buck raised an eyebrow inquisitively and Lena told Buck about how she and Eddie had first met in the tsunami, when she’d said the same thing to him after he’d discovered she had broken ribs. 

Speaking of the tsunami usually set Buck immediately on edge, but surprisingly, even in this hospital setting, Buck found he could talk about it. He was full of food and feeling comfortable enough with Lena that he told her a little more about what had happened with him and Christopher during the tsunami, as she’d only been around for the aftermath. Eddie listened until a nurse came in and gave him another dose of morphine, which sent him into another impromptu nap, Buck and Lena’s voices fading into his dreams.

A few hours later, Buck was dozing in his chair once more, and even Lena’s chin had met her chest a few times as they sat quietly, having run out of things to talk about for the time being. 

“You don’t have to stay,” Buck said sleepily at one point, as Lena shifted her position and sat up straighter, trying to shake off her drowsiness. “You’ve already been here for hours and I know that Eddie really appreciated it.”

Lena gave a half smile at this, looking over at Eddie’s sleeping form, then glancing over at Buck.

“Nah, it’s fine. I wasn’t doing anything else tonight anyway.”

Buck shrugged and gave a tired nod, closing his eyes again as he automatically stroked Eddie’s arm, his movements slowing every time he began to fall asleep again.

Finally, another hour or two later, Eddie’s doctor returned, turning the lights back up and clearing his throat. Both Buck and Lena jumped, and Buck blinked painfully in the bright light, squinting over at the doctor. Eddie had also woken to the sound, wincing as he opened his eyes and the bright lights seared them once more, pain spiking in his temples and behind his eyes.

“I’ve been reviewing your test results and monitoring your condition and I’m pleased to say you are in fit enough shape to head home.”

Eddie smiled as both Buck and Lena let out small whoops of joy, Buck squeezing Eddie’s hand happily. They listened as the doctor told them he’d prescribed some pain medication, and for Buck to monitor Eddie’s symptoms and come back if anything changed for the worse or any new symptoms developed. Buck nodded seriously, absorbing all of the information the doctor gave them, tossing Lena his wallet and sending her off to pick up the pain meds from the hospital pharmacy for them. 

After the doctor had removed Eddie’s IV and left, Buck smiled down at Eddie, who looked both pleased and exhausted at the thought of getting out of bed and moving around.

“You get to go home,” Buck said softly, leaning down and kissing him briefly, and Eddie laughed.

“Yeah, but at what cost?” Eddie asked, a thought occurring to him and making him cringe. “I’m pretty sure they got rid of my clothes… do I really have to leave in this?” 

Eddie gestured down to the robe he was wearing, and Buck grinned at the mental image of him leading Eddie across the parking lot, his ass peeking out from the robe in back for everyone to see. 

“No, babe, I brought you some clothes,” Buck laughed, retrieving the other bag he’d brought with him and pulling out a pair of boxers, jeans, and a button-up t-shirt.

“You really are a saint,” Eddie groaned, so happy to be getting back into his own clothes. Buck helped him get dressed, pulling the boxers and pants up his legs as it hurt his chest too much to bend over. 

Buck was just slipping the gown off of Eddie's shoulders when Lena returned, clutching a small paper bag and his wallet as she approached. Buck gave her a quick smile and turned back to Eddie, gasping as the cloth fell away from his shoulders and fluttered to the bed, revealing large, deep purple bruising over his chest, a particularly dark one over his left side.

“Oh my god, Eddie,” Buck breathed, his fingers ghosting over the bruises as Lena also winced in reaction. Eddie sucked in a sharp breath as Buck’s fingers even gently touched one of the worst bruises and Buck withdrew his hand immediately.

“I’m so sorry,” Buck said, feeling another lump forming in his throat at the pain on Eddie’s face, the intensity of the bruises over his skin. Beside him, Buck heard Lena snarl under her breath and glanced over at her to see a furious look on her face, her fist crushing the paper bag she was holding.

“Guys, I’m fine,” Eddie said after a moment, seeing their different reactions and just wanting to move on. “Except I’m getting a little cold. Buck, can you…?” 

Eddie trailed off and lifted an arm with a bit of difficulty, wincing as even the slow movement hurt his ribs. Buck jumped into action and grabbed Eddie’s shirt, very carefully slipping it over Eddie’s arm and shoulders. They couldn’t help but bend Eddie’s arm in a way that shot pain through him to get the other sleeve on and Eddie felt sweat beading on his forehead as he tried to hold in his gasps, not wanting to make Buck feel guilty. Eddie sank slowly down onto the bed as Buck arranged the material over him, leaning down and buttoning it up for him as Eddie breathed through the pain, swallowing hard and closing his eyes as a wave of dizziness and nausea rolled over him.

When he’d been sitting, Eddie had almost forgotten about the head injury besides the pain in his skull, but after standing for a few moments he realized that it was worse than he’d thought. 

“Hey, you okay?” Buck asked, putting a hand on his sweaty neck, and Eddie looked up at him, trying to take a deep breath.

“Yeah, just give me a second.”

Buck nodded and sank down onto the bed beside him, neither of them noticing that Lena had disappeared. Buck gently put a hand on Eddie’s shoulder, wishing he could rub Eddie’s back but not daring to with all the bruises there.

After a few moments, Eddie was just about ready to try again, but Lena suddenly returned, startling both of them as she came into the room, brandishing a wheelchair.

“There. Problem solved!”

Buck grinned and stood, all over the idea, but Eddie groaned. He didn’t want to be pushed out of the hospital in a wheelchair. He could walk, damn it.

“If you can stand without getting dizzy, you can walk out,” Buck said reasonably, and Eddie scrunched up his face and shot him a look, having a feeling he was about to lose this argument. Buck smiled at him and reached out a hand, and Eddie sighed, taking it and slowly rising to his feet. Buck hovered beside him, ready to steady him, and Eddie felt the room slowly begin to spin as he stood there, reaching out to hold onto Buck’s arm for balance.

“Fine,” Eddie griped, and Lena brought the chair over to him. Buck helped him ease him down into it, flipping down the foot panels so Eddie could get his legs settled. Eddie felt vaguely mortified and sighed, reaching up to run a hand through his hair and realizing he couldn’t, the bandage still wrapped around his head. Eddie leaned back in the chair, accepting his fate, and Buck wheeled him out the door, Lena following along behind them with the vase of flowers and the bag of takeout garbage.

Buck pushed Eddie through the hallways, a few floors down in an elevator and out into the parking garage, bringing him right up to the passenger door of his Jeep. Eddie suddenly remembered and mourned his truck again as he watched Buck unlock his passenger door and open it.

“Easy,” Buck said bracingly, reaching out and slowly helping Eddie stand. Eddie was mostly fine rising to his feet as long as he was careful not to jostle his midsection, but getting up into the Jeep was harder. By the time Eddie was sitting in the passenger seat, he was panting and clutching his chest, Buck apologizing endlessly as he climbed up and carefully buckled Eddie into his seat.

“Thank you for everything, Bosko,” Buck said, turning to Lena, who was watching and waiting to see if she could help.

“No problem,” Lena replied, handing Buck the bouquet of flowers and stepping up to say goodbye to Eddie as Buck buckled the vase into place in the back seat.

“See ya Bosko,” Eddie said, his voice strained as he recovered, reaching out and grasping her hand briefly.

“Later, Diaz.” Lena gripped his hand tight and smiled, dropping her arm as she looked over at Buck. “Take care of him. Let me know how he is.”

“Of course,” Buck said, smiling. Lena clapped Buck on the shoulder approvingly and took the wheelchair from him, dropping the takeout garbage onto the seat and rolling it back towards the hospital for them. Buck closed Eddie’s door and hurried around to the driver’s side, hopping up into the seat and buckling himself in, looking over at Eddie, who had rested his head back against the headrest.

“Ready?”

Eddie looked over at him, his eyes a little glazed with pain and tiredness, but he nodded, giving Buck a small smile and reaching over, taking his hand. 

“Ready.”

* * *

_I’ve got a surprise for you! In 15 mins, go outside and wait in the front yard!_

Eddie read Buck’s text and raised his eyebrow, wondering what Buck was up to this time. It had been four days since he’d been mugged, and every day since Buck had been bringing him little surprises. His favourite food, a movie date with his favourite film, virtual tickets to a baseball game, since he couldn’t actually go anywhere for a while. He wished Buck wouldn’t worry so much about making him feel special, but he had to admit, he liked the attention. 

And so, fifteen minutes after he received the text, Eddie heaved himself off of the couch and wandered outside in his bare feet, squinting into the evening sun, waiting for Buck’s Jeep to appear. Eddie leaned on the side of the house, scratching at the healing wound beneath his hair, taking advantage of Buck not being there in that moment to scold him for it.

Eddie yawned as he waited, and as he watched a truck turn onto the road a few blocks down, he sighed, glancing at his phone. Buck hadn’t texted again but it had easily been the fifteen minutes. Eddie was starting to wonder if he’d gotten held up when he glanced at the truck on the road again and his mouth fell open. Hardly daring to believe it, Eddie stood up properly and took a few steps forward, shock on his face as the truck got closer, close enough that he could make out Buck in the driver’s seat, grinning like an idiot.

Eddie’s expression morphed into one of pure joy and he let out a whoop of ecstasy as Buck slowed, then turned into the driveway. Eddie walked over as fast as he could without wrenching his ribs, running his hand along the hood of his truck, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Surprised?!” Buck exclaimed excitedly, hopping out of the truck and bouncing over to Eddie, wrapping him in a gentle hug. Eddie squeezed him back as hard as he could, even as a shock of pain went through his chest, so relieved and grateful to have his truck back that he didn’t even care.

“You are the best,” Eddie said into Buck’s neck, pulling away and looking over his truck, Buck’s arm still around his back. “I can’t believe she found it.”

“Athena is amazing,” Buck grinned, nodding. “It’s a bit scratched up and the back fender is a bit dented, but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”

“I’m just so glad to have it back, I don’t even care,” Eddie laughed, running his hand along the side of the truck as he moved to the back, examining the damage. Buck was right, it was all superficial. Easily fixable.

“There’s one more thing,” Buck said, appearing at the back of the truck and leaning on it, looking very casually sexy as Eddie eyed him.

“What more could there be?” Eddie asked, quirking an eyebrow and looking over at him.

Buck smiled one of his brilliant grins and reached into his pocket, pulling out a wallet. Eddie’s wallet. Eddie gasped and reached for it, opening it up.

“The credit cards and cash are all gone,” Buck said, making a face. “But everything else is still there, even your driver’s license.”

Eddie didn’t care about the driver’s license, though. He thumbed open the cash flap at the back of the wallet and sighed with happy relief as he pulled out several pictures. They were creased and slightly crumpled, but they were all there. 

Buck moved to his side, slipping an arm around his waist as Eddie flipped through them. There was an old school picture of Christopher, when he was in kindergarten. Another picture of Christopher, this one much more recent, and Buck laughed softly at the gleeful look on Chris’s face as he mugged for the camera. The third pic was one of the three of them on their trip to the zoo last summer, Christopher held up between Buck and Eddie, the elephant exhibit in the background. Buck squeezed Eddie’s hip affectionately as Eddie flipped to the last pic. It was a photo of Buck, a candid one, one he knew Buck wasn’t aware he’d taken. It had been a soft moment; Buck was laughing at something Eddie had said, and Eddie had taken the photo as Buck tipped his head back, eyes closed as he grinned. Eddie loved the photo very much, and he’d mourned its loss as the only other place it existed was on his phone, which had also been stolen. So having this back made him incredibly happy, and he smiled up at Buck, who looked touched to see the photo of himself there in Eddie’s wallet.

“I love you, Eddie,” Buck said softly, dipping his head and pressing his lips to Eddie’s, both hands slipping up Eddie’s arms and cupping either side of his face. Eddie inhaled a little sharply as his heart fluttered, wrapping his arms around Buck’s middle and leaning into the kiss.

“I love you too,” Eddie breathed as they eventually broke the kiss. There was no way else for Eddie to say how grateful he was for everything Buck did for him, to show him how much he loved him. No words would suffice. So Eddie pulled Buck closer, ignoring the flare of pain in his ribs, and kissed him deeply. His wounds were healing, he had the best kid in the world, and the love of his life was right here with him. How could he be any happier?

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment if you liked it! Feedback absolutely makes my day! <3 Thank you for reading!


End file.
